It's "snow bird" season in Phoenix. They're easy to spot, driving in cars displaying plates from cold Midwestern states. And every winter, a large number of the veterans among these migrant retired folks find their way to the sprawling Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center on the outskirts…

For thousands of physicians on the West Coast, ringing in the New Year signified more than the annual renewal of hope. For many California physicians, Jan. 1 brought a new quality-bonus initiative that now covers most of the for-profit HMO members in the state. Whether the program serves as a fresh…

If you wake up to ABC's Good Morning America, you may remember a recent story featuring UCLA urologist Jennifer Berman, MD, a frequent contributor on the "Healthy Woman" segment. This time, Berman herself was the subject. "Dr. Jennifer Berman has a request that strikes at the heart of a controversy,"…

After years of struggle as bit players, generic drugs finally have marquee power. Their supporters in the government and private sectors say generics perform so well they make older actors look tired and vastly overvalued. Some proponents say using generics can even save lives, if the money a health…

ABSTRACT Purpose: Pharmacy compounding of prescription therapies that do not have Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval increases administrative costs to managed care organizations and may also place members at risk for poor outcomes. This paper provides health care administrators with information…

New IT systems promise to reduce medical-loss ratios, improve the health status of populations, and transform relations with members. Outsourcing IT functions places the personnel burden and responsibility for regulatory compliance on the contractor.